1 Photography & Presentation
Average: Basic photos, minimal prep, no staging, no thought to the “story” your home tells.
Excellent: Professional photography and design-forward marketing enhanced with refined editing, interior styling, and virtual or physical staging that elevates your home. Comprehensive floor plans and polished brochures highlighting your home’s features.
2 Pricing Strategy
Average: Price-testing on the MLS and hoping for traction. Reducing the price later if it doesn’t work out.
Excellent: Data-driven valuations rooted in hyperlocal trends and buyer behavior - not Zestimates. Compass’s Buyer Demand Tool provides real-time insights into who’s searching and where to target.
3 Marketing Plan
Average: Post on MLS and pray someone calls. Skip additional investments like floor plans, dedicated websites, or paid advertising.
Excellent: A heavy investment on my part & Compass’ 3-Phased Marketing Plan which involves a private pre-market period, an anticipated launch, and then a public debut. During the Coming Soon stage, I send a ‘Help Me Choose Your Neighbor’ postcards and build early momentum before it’s live.
I create a dedicated property website, invest in professional photography, floor plans, virtual staging, and editing, host two open houses to drive urgency, and promote the listing heavily through thoughtfully produced social media encouraging engagement.
4 Property Preparation
Average: Postponing preparation until spring, resulting in hurried photography and a rushed MLS debut with no time to mitigate risk.
Excellent: Treating your home as your biggest asset. Photographing the home in peak season but listing when appropriate for your timeline. Performing a pre-inspection and taking care of deal breakers in advance. Possibly utilizing Compass Concierge, a zero interest loan repaid at closing, to perform upgrades to increase value and reduce days on market.
5 Communication Standards
Average: Many agents choose not to include their cell numbers on listings or limit broker participation at open houses, prioritizing their own lead generation over the client experience. My approach puts accessibility and client service first.
Excellent: High-level communication is central to my service. I’m fully accessible, and my full-time assistant manages the administrative details so I can stay responsive to you and every buyer. Compass One streamlines documents, dates, and every phase of the transaction, giving you 24/7 transparency and complete peace of mind.
6 Creative Marketing
Average: Generic templates and one-size-fits-all campaigns.
Excellent: Custom creative marketing that reflects your home’s narrative and attracts qualified buyers. Above is a custom scavenger hunt I designed for a home that merged historical details with a modern renovation. It encouraged visitors to slow down and truly engage with the details. I’ve also produced drone videos, reels and YouTube videos selling community first.
7 Due Diligence & Readiness
Average: Missing documents, delays, and preventable surprises slowing and often derailing the transaction.
Excellent: Full due diligence ready upfront to streamline negotiation and strengthen your position.
In my client’s words:
“We cannot recommend Melissa Colabella highly enough. She has been our trusted realtor through two major milestones—first in 2016 when we bought our home in Tarrytown, and again in 2025 when we sold that home and purchased our dream house in Briarcliff Manor.
There’s a reason we returned to her: she is exceptional at what she does. Melissa works entirely for her clients. At every step, our best interest was clearly her priority. She guided every decision with intention and never pushed the most expensive option—only the right one.
She is meticulous, diligent, responsive, and communicates with clarity. Melissa helped us navigate the complexities of buying and selling with calm confidence and strategic precision. She built a thoughtful, data-driven plan and executed it flawlessly. We sold our home over asking, and we secured our new one in a competitive market not by being the highest bidder, but through a smart, nuanced strategy that combined timing, positioning, and presentation...
...If you're looking for a realtor who brings expertise, integrity, and a true client-first approach, Melissa is the one. We are deeply grateful to have worked with her three times now.
— Shraddha Dingee
When the details are elevated, so are your results.
If you are considering the sale of your house, and aren’t sure who to hire, please consider this my application. Contact me anytime to schedule a no-obligation meeting.
Melissa Colabella
Lic. R.E. Salesperson
M: 914.438.0139
[email protected]
www.DestinationWestchester.com
